Garment for persons with limited movement

ABSTRACT

A garment having a plurality of hook-and-loop seam connectors to facilitate the donning or removal of the garment by persons having impaired arm or shoulder movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a garment for the human torso. More specifically, the present invention relates to a garment having strategically located connectors along a plurality of seams of the garment to facilitate donning or removal of the garment by a person having injuries, surgeries or otherwise limited flexibility or range of movement. More specifically, the garment of the present invention can be donned or removed in a manner that does not require the movement of shoulder joints to extreme displacements and in a manner that enables the garment to be more easily donned onto or removed from an unconscious, semi-conscious or otherwise movement impaired person.

2. Background of the Related Art

Medical patients, especially patients having injuries or surgeries to a shoulder, an arm, the neck or the collarbone are often physically impaired and unable to don or remove conventional clothing or conventional hospital gowns. For example, but not by way of limitation, a person with a collarbone or shoulder injury, a broken arm, or a person recovering from collarbone, shoulder, arm, breast or cardiac surgery, may be unable to position the arm and elbow above the shoulder to insert the arm into a sleeve of a conventional pullover shirt. While some hospital gowns are constructed to be donned from the front, as opposed to the back, these garments are not generally favorable for being fastened in the rear or for being worn in a modest manner.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention comprises a garment comprising a superior shoulder seam connector, an inferior shoulder seam connector and at least one side seam connector proximal to the superior shoulder seam connector and the inferior sleeve seam connector to enable the garment to be donned and/or removed by persons having a limited range of arm movement in one or both shoulders. The present invention can be donned or removed by a person in a laying position, a sitting or standing position. The present invention can be worn in public because, unlike conventional hospital gowns, it appears as a conventional pullover shirt when all of the connectors are in the connected mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective frontal view of an embodiment of the garment of the present invention with all seam connectors connected.

FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the embodiment of the garment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is the perspective frontal view of FIG. 1 after the (user's) left shoulder seam connector and the left side seam connector are disconnected.

FIG. 4 is the perspective frontal view of FIG. 1 after the right shoulder seam connector is disconnected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a perspective frontal view of an embodiment of the garment 10 of the present invention with all seam connectors 11, 23 and 24 connected. The embodiment of the garment 10 comprises a torso portion 12, a front portion 30, a pocket 25 on the front portion 30, a neck opening 18, a bottom opening 15, a (user's) left shoulder seam connector 24, a left sleeve superior seam connector 23, a right sleeve 16, and a left side torso seam connector 11. The a(user's) left shoulder seam connector 24, a left sleeve superior seam connector 23 and a left side torso seam connector 11 each comprise an elongate hook seam portion and an elongate loop seam portion. More specifically, left side torso seam connector 11 comprises an elongate hook seam portion 13 and an elongate loop seam portion 14 which, when aligned and pressed one against the other completes the seam and retains the seam in the connected mode as illustrated in FIG. 1. Similarly, the left sleeve superior seam connector 23 comprises an elongate hook seam portion 22 and an elongate loop seam portion 21 which, when aligned and pressed one against, the other completes the seam and retains the seam in the connected mode as illustrated in FIG. 1. The garment 10 further comprises a slit or opening 35 in the interior panel 36 to facilitate an electronic connector (not shown in FIG. 1).

FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of the embodiment of the garment 10 of FIG. revealing a rear portion 31 and a (user's) right side seam connector 17 comprising an elongate hook seam portion 20 and an elongate loop seam portion 18 which, when aligned and pressed one against the other completes the seam and retains the seam in the connected mode as illustrated in FIG. 2.

It will be understood that, with the seam connectors 11, 17, 23 and 24 in the connected mode as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the garment 10 will function as a conventional pull-over shirt. However, as will be illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the garment 10 can be donned and/or removed in unconventional ways that are accommodating for persons having limited mobility of one or both of the shoulders, one or both of the arms, the neck, the torso or the collarbone.

FIG. 3 is the perspective frontal view of FIG. 1 after the (user's) left shoulder seam connector 24 and the left side seam connector 11 are disconnected. Also disconnected is the left inferior sleeve connector 32 comprising of a left inferior sleeve connector hook portion 27 and a left interior sleeve connector loop portion 29. It will be understood by inspection of FIG. 3 that the disconnection of these three connectors 11, 24 and 32 enables the donning or the removal of the garment 10 onto or from the body of the user by sliding the garment 10 onto and then up the user's right arm (riot shown) for donning, or by sliding the garment 10 down and then off of the user's right, arm (not shown); that is by inserting the user's right hand (not shown) into the right sleeve 16 and then by sliding the right sleeve 16 up and along the user's tight arm(not shown) until the garment 10 is donned or, for removal, by sliding the right sleeve 16 down and along the user's right arm (not shown) and then by pulling the user's right hand (not shown) through the right sleeve 16.

FIG. 3 also reveals the interior of the pocket 25 and the slit 35 on the interior of the pocket 25 to facilitate the wired connection of a medical instrument such as, for example, a heart monitor, stored and/or carried in the pocket 25 by the user of the garment 10.

FIG. 4 is the perspective frontal view of FIG. 1 after the right shoulder seam connector 17 is disconnected. It will be understood that the garment 10 in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4 can be donned onto the user's body by having the user insert his or her feet into the neck opening 18 (which is substantially enlarged by disconnection of the right shoulder seam connector 17) and then by raising the garment 10 and sliding the garment 10 up and along the user's legs, past the user's hips and along the user's torso, and then by inserting the user's left arm into the left sleeve 21 and by connecting the right shoulder seam connector 17 above the left shoulder, or by receiving the user's head and shoulders into the bottom opening 15 and then by sliding the garment 10 along the user's torso until the right sleeve 21 and the left sleeve 16 are below the user's armpits, and then by inserting the user's left arm into the left sleeve 21 and by connecting the right shoulder seam connector 17 above the user's right shoulder. It will be understood that this process of donning the garment 10 can be made even easier by beginning with both the right shoulder seam connector 17 and the left shoulder seam connector 24 in the disconnected mode.

It will be understood that the garment 10 in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4 can be removed from the user's body by sliding the garment downwardly along the user's torso, past the user's hips and downwardly along the user's legs until the garment 10 is removed past the user's feet, or by having the user elevate his or her arms over his or her head, and then by sliding the garment 10 upwardly from the user's torso and along the user's elevated arms until the user's hands are pulled through the garment 10 and the garment is removed. It will be understood that the process of removing the garment 10 can be made even easier by beginning with both the right shoulder seam connector 17 and the left shoulder seam connector 24 in the disconnected mode. 

1. A garment, comprising: a generally tubular abdomen portion having a neck opening at a first end, a bottom opening at a second end, and an abdomen side seam connector at which a first portion and a second portion of the abdomen portion are connectable using an elongate abdomen side seam connector with a hook portion connected to one of the first portion and the second portion and a corresponding loop portion connected to the other of the first portion and second portion; a first sleeve extending from the tubular abdomen portion and having a first superior shoulder seam connector with an elongate first shoulder seam connector hook portion connectable to an elongate first shoulder seam connector loop portion, and further including a first inferior shoulder seam connector disposed on the first sleeve proximal to the first superior shoulder seam connector and having a first inferior shoulder seam connector hook portion connectable to a first inferior shoulder seam connector loop portion; and a second sleeve extending from the tubular abdomen portion generally opposite to the first sleeve and having a second superior shoulder seam connector with a second shoulder seam connector hook portion connectable to a second shoulder seam connector loop portion; wherein the abdomen side seam connector, the first superior shoulder seam connector, the first inferior shoulder seam connector and the second superior shoulder seam connector are disconnectable to enable the garment to be donned by and removed from a torso of a person.
 2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising: a pocket disposed on the first portion of the generally tubular abdomen portion, the pocket having an interior slit therein to accommodate a conductive member that can be connected to an instrument stored in the pocket.
 3. A garment, comprising: a trunk portion, with a neck opening at a top end and a bottom opening at a bottom end, having an elongate hook and loop seam connector along a first side of the trunk portion with an elongate hook seam portion and an elongate loop seam portion connectable to the hook seam portion to close the trunk portion of garment to form a generally tubular trunk portion; a first sleeve extending from the trunk portion, proximal to the neck opening at the top end of the trunk portion, having a hook and loop seam connector along a top of the first sleeve and extending from an end of the first sleeve to the neck opening of the trunk portion, with a hook seam portion and a loop seam portion connectable to the hook seam portion to close the first sleeve of the garment to form a generally tubular sleeve portion, the first sleeve further having a hook and loop seam connector along a bottom of the first sleeve with a hook seam portion and a loop seam portion connectable to the hook seam portion to close the first sleeve of the garment to form, along with the connected hook and loop seam connector along the top side of the first sleeve, a generally tubular sleeve portion; a second sleeve extending from the tubular trunk portion, proximal to the neck opening, at the top end of the trunk portion and generally opposite the trunk portion from the first sleeve, and having a hook and loop seam connection extending along a top side of the second sleeve from an end of the second sleeve to the neck opening of the trunk portion, with a hook seam portion and a loop seam portion connectable to the hook seam portion to close the second sleeve of the garment to form a generally tubular sleeve portion; wherein the garment is receivable onto a human torso over the feet and legs by disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along a top of the first sleeve and disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along the second sleeve, inserting the feet into an enlarged neck opening produced by disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along a top of the first sleeve and disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along, the second sleeve, and by pulling the garment upwardly past the legs and hips until the hook and loop seam connectors along the top of the first sleeve and along the second sleeve can be reconnected above the wearer's shoulders; and wherein the garment is laterally receivable onto a human torso by disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along a top of the first sleeve and disconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along a bottom of the second sleeve, and disconnecting, the hook and loop seam connector along the first side of the trunk portion, laterally receiving the garment onto the torso while inserting a second arm into the second sleeve, and by reconnecting the hook and loop seam connector along the first side of the trunk portion, the hook and loop seam connector along the top of the first sleeve and the hook and loop seam connector along a bottom of the first sleeve.
 4. The garment of claim 3, further comprising: a pocket disposed on a front of the trunk portion of the garment, the pocket having an interior slit therein to accommodate a conductive member that can be connected to an instrument stored in the pocket. 